I’m Isabel, a second-year English Literature and Japanese student at the University of Exeter’s Streatham Campus. My weekly schedule is always changing! I’m a member of multiple societies – Pole Fitness, Scare Society, and Exeposé, the University’s independent student newspaper. I also have a job, do multiple sports, and have a creative writing blog, on which I publish my poetry. Here’s an average week in my life, with classes, society events, and seeing friends.
Monday
My week began with an early morning deep clean of my room. I went home for the weekend, and in my rush to pack, left my room a bit of a mess. Cleaning at the beginning of the week always makes me feel more productive, as it clears my mind. When I have a cluttered room, it can be difficult to get things done, like studying. I always try to begin my mornings with a healthy habit, like making my bed or journaling, to prepare myself for the day. I ate and got ready, leaving for campus at 9am.
My Monday mornings are quite busy with lectures, as I have a 9:30-10:30am English Literature lecture, and an 11:30am – 1:30pm Japanese seminar. In between the classes I met up with friends, and we ate an early lunch together, at Comida – a popular food shop on campus that sells delicious, filled wraps.
Once my classes for the morning were finished, I had a quick meeting with one of my professors, in which we discussed an upcoming project. I headed home, as I had an online meeting at 2:30pm with Study Tech, the company that provide my Disabled Students’ Allowance. I have Chronic Fatigue and Chronic Pain Syndrome, so it’s important for me to have regular calls with Study Tech so we can analyse how I’m getting along with my classes and if I need any further support. The meetings are always very relaxed and helpful, with a welcoming and supportive atmosphere.
Once I’d finished with the meeting, I studied in my bed. I find it difficult to study at a desk or on campus, as studying increases my likelihood of a migraine, or of fainting. Luckily I have a laptop stand, which helps me to study from the comfort of my bed. I studied for around two hours, working on some reading and a summative portfolio due on Friday. I managed to finish the portfolio, with plenty of time to spare for editing and uploading in the upcoming days.
In the evening, I spent some time resting after all the studying. I made myself dinner: spaghetti bolognese. Making time every day to have a full, healthy meal is very important to me. After I’d eaten, I headed to the pub The Imperial to meet up with some friends. It’s close to my house, and campus, and has a lovely outside area. Although, it was chilly, so we sat inside. I had a nice evening with them, chatting and catching up.
Tuesday
Tuesday morning, I had to get up early again, as I was teaching a dance class from 10 – 11:30am. I love teaching, it makes me feel more productive and the responsibility forces me to be active, even if I’m feeling particularly lazy that day.
Afterward, I met my friends for lunch again and we sat and studied together. Many of my friends are on the same course as me, so we can chat about our work and give each other advice. I had a creative writing workshop at 1:30pm, in which we’re encouraged to write and get advice on our summative portfolio, which will be submitted in January. I’m mostly finished with my story, so the time is useful to edit and get second opinions. I love creative writing and want to go into it when I’ve finished University, so this course is both fun and practical for me.
Once I was home, I relaxed and studied a little more, taking regular breaks. I made myself some dinner and then got ready for Pole Fitness Society social. I have some great friends in the society, and I have so much fun going to events with them. At the beginning of the year I was worried about making more friends, and I’m so glad I joined the committee, as it’s allowed me to make some incredible female friendships.
Wednesday
After two days of early starts, thankfully, I have no classes on Wednesdays. I get to have a longer sleep and lie in, which is much needed. Once finally awake, I had a relaxing morning, taking care of myself and practicing some healthy habits.
At lunchtime, I had another society event in the Forum, which I attended with my friends. Afterwards, I spent some time studying, working on my project for Japanese. I need to finish my draft by the end of this week so that I can practice with my group to put our drafts together. It’s a speaking project, which I always get really nervous about! I like to be ahead so I have more time to practice.
In the afternoon, a friend and I headed into Exeter city centre, to do some shopping and have a catch up. We visited a lot of shops and some cafés – the charity shops in Exeter are really great.
In the evening, it was a friend’s birthday, so we hung out for the night. I met a lot of new people, and got to catch up with a lot of friends – it was so much fun! Everyone recently went home for Reading Week (a one week break in the middle of term), so there was lots of news and fun stories. I love spending comfortable evenings with friends, as I love to chat and relax at the end of the day. Afterward, I had a sleepover with a friend as she lives far away. It was super cosy and fun.
Thursday
Another early start on Thursday, as I was teaching another dance class at 9:30 – 11am. It went well, although I’m sometimes nervous to teach classes! The syllabus for this week was mostly new to me, but I managed well. I only joined the committee this year, and a lot of other members are older than me, so it was scary at first. Now, I’m glad I joined the committee, even if I’m still a bit nervous.
I then had a Japanese seminar at 11:30am, and an English literature seminar at 1:30pm. This seminar is my most difficult class, as it broaches philosophical, sociological, and historical concepts that I have never studied before. I always do a lot of research before the classes to make sure I’m as prepared as possible.
I spent most of the evening relaxing, as I had already done a lot of work this week. I checked and submitted a few summative pieces, which was a big relief. With my conditions, I need to spend a few evenings every week relaxing and resting, so it’s important that I schedule these into my weekly routines.
Friday
Friday morning began with a 10:30am – 12:30pm seminar in Creative Writing. I love these seminars, as I find it really helpful to receive feedback on my pieces. We have a 3500-word short story due soon, and I’m a little nervous!
After the seminar, I went to Queen’s Café (a personal favourite café on campus!) for a ‘smores’ latte. I would 100% recommend! After a long week of early starts and studying, it was much needed. They also do great pastries! I relaxed in the afternoon, doing an occasional bit of reading, and going for a walk.
Later in the evening, I had a free movie screening as part of a society event. It was a horror film, Kwaidan, which was fun (although the walk home afterward was scary!).
Weekend
The weekends are big opportunities for me to catch up on rest, and also make time for friends. On Saturday, some friends and I went to go look at the Christmas market! It was so fun, and is only a 15 minute walk from campus. There were so many different stalls` and food options, but entry to the market is free. It was very pretty lit up at night, especially with the Cathedral in the background.
Afterward, I went to go watch Shakespeare Co’s performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as it was directed by a close friend. It was brilliant, the cast and crew had put so much effort into it! My friends and I went to the Ram Bar (the student bar on Campus) afterwards to celebrate.
On Sunday, I had a relaxing reset day. I tidied, cleaned my house, did some laundry, and caught up on any admin tasks I needed to do. It meant I was ready for the upcoming week, and was able to go to sleep early, knowing I was prepared for the early starts. I also met up with a study group in the evening to go over our Japanese group project. Our project is a 10-minute presentation, which is difficult to create a script for! When we did one last year, we found it difficult to film because we kept laughing.
My weeks in Exeter can be busy, but it’s really important to schedule time for friends, wellbeing, and rest. I always schedule my weeks in a planner, which saves me time later. I hope this can provide a bit of insight into what life in Exeter is like!
